Queen's message gets new dimension

Date: December 26 2012

THE Queen has enjoyed the full effect of her Christmas message, which took on an extra dimension this year. Wearing 3D glasses, she watched part of the footage before it was broadcast on Christmas Day, as the final touches were being made.

But these were no ordinary glasses - her spectacles have been adorned with Swarovski crystals forming a letter Q on each side, a pair she first wore during a visit to a film training centre in Toronto, Canada, in 2010.

This year her message, which she writes herself, highlighted the '''splendid summer of sport'', and paid tribute to Britain's Olympic and Paralympic athletes, who gave spectators the chance to revel in the ''excitement and drama''.

During the address, broadcast at 3pm GMT on Christmas Day, the Queen said: ''As London hosted a splendid summer of sport, all those who saw the achievement and courage at the Olympic and Paralympic Games were further inspired by the skill, dedication, training and teamwork of our athletes.''

The broadcast was on radio and television, with the special effect of the extra dimension available to those with 3D TV capability.

The Queen's first Christmas speech was broadcast on radio in 1952, and her first televised message was in 1957.

To celebrate how far technology has advanced during her reign, and to mark her diamond jubilee, royal officials suggested she try 3D. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: ''We wanted to do something a bit different and special in this jubilee year, so doing it for the first time in 3D seemed a good thing, technology-wise, to do. The Queen absolutely agreed straight away.''